


Dear Harry

by cupcake_gracie_xoxo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Drarry, Good Draco Malfoy, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Era, Hogwarts Fifth Year, M/M, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Romance, Wizarding World (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23119084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cupcake_gracie_xoxo/pseuds/cupcake_gracie_xoxo
Summary: Whilst trapped in his home with both death eaters and the Dark Lord himself, Draco sends Harry a letter, hoping for a way out. As they begin to confide in each other an unlikely friendship forms. But just as they grow closer, as does the inevitable war; they're just kids, but they're willing to fight for one another.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 13
Kudos: 59





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is set the day Harry arrives at Grimmauld place in the Summer before his 5th year, during Order of the Phoenix. It starts as all the kids head up to bed after Sirius tells them a bit about what the order and Voldemort are doing.
> 
> I apologise for anything out of place in the timeline, I think I've gotten everything right but you never know. The same goes for spelling/grammatical errors. 
> 
> This was orginally posted on Wattpad by me, under the name cupcakegracieeeeeee. It's also available to read on fanfiction.net.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, as they belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.
> 
> I do, however, own this fic. Feel free to adapt as long as you credit me and the original story. Alright then, lets get started!

Harry walked up the rickety stair case and up to the room he and Ron shared. After some discussion about the information they had just learnt, the lights were turned out. He had been laid in bed for just a few minutes, contemplating what Sirius had let slip, when he heard a quiet tapping at the window. It had been going on for quite some time now, muffled by Ron's loud snores.

Pushing the ratty covers off himself, Harry climbed wearily from the bed. It creaked loudly under his weight and he heard Ron stir slightly before resuming his usual snores. He unlatched the window and it swung wide open. A black eagle owl perched on the ledge, a letter tied to its leg. Harry let him sit in Hegwig's cage as he opened the letter, the front of which said _Harry Potter_ in neat cursive.

_Potter,_

_I know you'll think this is some stupid prank, but I need your help. When you read my name signed at the bottom you'll probably toss this into the bin without a second thought. I'm basically relying on your obsession with saving people to convince you to carry on reading. I implore you to listen to your hero complex, because it's not wrong; I do need saving._

Harry scowled down at the letter, annoyed by the insult in both the implication that he wouldn't save the sender of the letter, and that he would. He skipped to the end in miffed confusion, where it was signed in swirling handwriting:

_Yours sincerely,_

_Draco Malfoy._

Malfoy? Why would Malfoy be sending him a letter? Still, he read on, curious to what the bastard had to say,

_As you know, the Dark Lord regained his body last June, subsequently 'coming back to life' as you would call it. I assume you must also have realised that he has not spent these past two months sitting idly by. He has been recruiting followers and is gaining more power and influence with every coming day. As you again know, my parents stand by him. I do not. Before you go running off to Dumbledore, you must know that I- and possibly my mother and father too- will die if it were found out that I had been in contact with you. The Dark Lord is not known for forgiveness nor mercy._

_I don't know why I am writing to you, it's probably a terrible idea. There's nothing you could do to help anyway, even if you don't expose me. Just tell me you at least have a plan. I don't think I can stand this much longer, I'll do anything to make it stop. There's not much you could do to help me, but I can help you. Let me help you. I swear I'm not lying. I want him gone._

Harry stared back at the letter in shock. Malfoy had betrayed Voldemort. Not just that though, he'd betrayed his parents, his family and his friends too. He wanted to work with the Order. He was risking everything sending Harry that letter. It was only right to reply,

_Malfoy,_

He began. No, it didn't seem right to call him that, not after everything he had just confided in Harry. He started again,

_Draco,_

_You are right when you say I don't know how to help. I don't even know how to respond. But I do know that any information you can find out would be extremely well appreciated by myself and everyone here, as long as you aren't finding it at the expense of your own life, of course. Do not take too many risks, it is like you said: Voldemort is not a man known to forgive and forget._

_Harry Potter._

_Ps, I swear if your bullshitting me and this is some sort of joke or a way of gathering intel for Voldemort you're beyond dead. Just saying._

Harry's messy scrawl appeared almost unreadable when placed next to the loopy cursive Draco wrote with, just as Harry's rushed, slightly baffled letter paled in comparison to Draco's. Still, he tied his response to the leg of the eagle owl and sent him back into the night.

He hung his head out of the window for a while, already beginning to feel cooped up in the dark, dingy house. He gazed out at a vast expanse of inky black filled with glinting stars, pondering Draco's motives in sending the letter. It was beginning to dawn on him just how close the war really was. He always knew he would have to face Voldemort, but he never realised it would be so soon. After reading Draco's letter and seeing the Order of the Phoenix, he knew it wouldn't be long. Everyday the death toll grew higher, the dangers drew closer, unbeknownst to the public, war had already begun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hope you like this chapter, a bit more happens than in the last one.
> 
> I'm kind of new to this so please just let me know if I've made any mistakes or if my writing just makes no sense. It would be really helpful to get some feedback from anyone reading.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own these characters they belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

A few days went by uneventfully- a rather magnificent feat considering Harry's track record. They cleaned the house and order members popped in every now and again. Fred and George attempted to listen in on meetings using their new inventions Extendable Ears, but to no avail.

On the morning of the 8th August, two days after Harry's arrival at headquarters, a black eagle owl waited outside his window with a letter tied to its leg. Harry climbed from bed groggily, letting the bird inside.

"What's that?" Ron mumbled, his face pressed against his pillow. Harry ignored him, Ron likely wouldn't remember the letter in a few hours time anyway, judging by how tired he looked.

Harry tore open the envelope and began to read Draco's response,

_Dear Harry,_

_I am trying to find some information but so far my attempts have been unsuccessful. As I don't bear the Dark Mark, I'm not technically a Death Eater, so I'm not permitted to sit through any meetings. I will send word as soon as I find anything of interest. As for the matter of my safety, it is irrelevant. I will always be in danger whilst serving the Dark Lord, especially now that I am helping you. Do not concern yourself over my safety, I am perfectly capable of handling myself. I don't need your protection._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Draco Malfoy._

Whilst Harry didn't like that Draco was putting himself in harms way for the sake of information, he knew the other boy was right. Until Voldemort was gone, they would always be in danger. He wrote back:

_Dear Draco,_

_Thank you for trying to find out information for me. No one here seems to think I need to know anything. They won't let me into any Order meetings either. Apparently the Order only accept overage wizards, which is stupid really, considering the fact I know more about Voldemort than any of them and I've fought him on multiple occasions. Its like they've just forgotten everything I've done, everything I've been through. Still, it's got to beat living with the snake-faced bastard._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Harry Potter._

He gave Draco's owl a treat before sending him back to his owner along with Harry's letter.

Three more arduous and exhausting days of cleaning past until Harry got a response, on the night of the 11th. He lay in bed wide awake, fear about his disciplinary hearing the following morning keeping him from rest. After staring at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, with only Ron's incessant snores to keep him company, he heard a quiet, familiar tapping on the window pane. He sprung up, desperate for a distraction from his nerves. Ripping the envelope open, he read:

_Dear Harry,_

_I heard you had a hearing tomorrow about underage magic._

Great. So much for a distraction.

_My father said you cast a Patronus charm. I just wanted to say that most people think it was someone at the Ministry who sent those dementors, because it wasn't Voldemort._

_Also, I'd really like to know how you can cast one, as I've never had much luck. The Patronus charm is quite a high level spell, and its very light magic, which could be why I can't cast it._

_I still haven't been able to find out much information apart from what I said about the dementors. I'll tell you if I learn anything new, but it looks like we're both being kept in the dark._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Draco Malfoy._

Harry sighed down at the page. Draco was right about one thing: they weren't being told shit. Voldemort didn't trust Draco, and Dumbledore didn't trust Harry. It was a vicious circle where neither of the boys knew what the hell was going on. He had a right to know. It wasn't like he was just some kid; he knew what was at stake. He just wished Dumbledore would give him the information outright.

_Dear Draco,_

_When we get back to Hogwarts I'll teach you the Patronus charm. If you research it you might be able to do it own your own, although that's never really worked for me, it just depends on how you learn I suppose._

_Nobody's told me anything, but Dumbledore's going to be at my hearing tomorrow so maybe he'll tell me something._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Harry Potter._

He sent the eagle owl off again with his letter and resumed what he had been doing previously, which solely included lying in bed and staring at the ceiling.

Harry awoke the next morning feeling thoroughly unrested and completely terrified. He walked to the station with Mr Weasley, as they had decided seeing as he had been charged with underage magic then it would be best if he travelled to the Ministry the muggle way. He spent much of the morning in Mr Weasley's office waiting for his hearing to start.

After around an hour, Kingsley informed Mr Weasley that they had changed the time and place of Harry's hearing, presumably to make him look bad by either being late or not showing up at all.

The whole ordeal was nerve wracking and he was glad it ended when and how it did. Harry wanted to thank Dumbledore for helping him but he ignored him. It was strange, Harry thought, that Dumbledore would just pretend like he hadn't heard him. It didn't make much sense, but then again he'd kept Harry at the Dursley's all Summer completely in the dark, so maybe there was more to it.

A few days later their book lists arrived, along with the news that Ron and Hermione were going to be prefects. Harry felt vaguely annoyed that he hadn't gotten the badge, and felt thoroughly annoyed for even feeling annoyed in the first place. It was, on the whole, rather annoying.

A party of sorts was thrown instead of their usual sit down dinner. Moody pulled him aside and showed him a picture of the members of the order before Voldemort first fell. Harry watched him point out all the members he'd never heard of, thinking of how their names were obsolete to him. They'd fought and died for the order and yet nobody but Moody even remembered them. Would that be him, in the years to come? Would he just be another face in an old picture, someone else who died fighting?

The thought slipped from his mind as he found his parents, smiling up at him, not knowing what would happen to them. Was that him right now? Were his parents content with taking photos as he was with going to parties, never realising what would happen until it was too late? Was it foolish to be celebrating?

Harry, no longer in the party mood, tiptoed upstairs, hoping nobody would notice his absence. He heard a quiet sobbing coming from the drawing room. Upon further investigation he found Mrs Weasley crying. He was about to ask her what the matter was when he noticed Ron lying on the dusty, wooden floor, moonlight shining across his sickly pale face. His eyes were open wide and blank as he stared up at the ceiling. Harry felt as though all air had left his lungs; shock and horror took hold of him. Ron was dead. But how? Ron was downstairs, at the party.

"R- ri- riddikulus!" Mrs Weasley sobbed, her wand shaking in her hand.

A loud crack sounded and Ron's body was replaced with Bill's, lying on the floor in uneasy silence, broken only by Mrs Weasley's sobs.

"R- riddikulus!" She sobbed again, pointing her wand at Bill's body as it was exchanged for Mr Weasley's, his glasses askew, a small trickle of blood running from his forehead.

"No!" She shouted, horrified, "Riddikulus! Riddikulus! RIDDIKULUS!"

More cracks sounded, one after the other. Dead Percy, his eyes blank. Dead twins, their smiles gone. Dead Harry.

Lupin got rid of the boggart, but Harry couldn't stop seeing the look on Mrs Weasley's face... the tears running down her cheek... the empty stare of his own vivid green eyes.

Another letter from Draco arrived that night. It was short, simply saying he hadn't found anything new and would let Harry know if he did. Still not being able to keep his own blank eyes from his mind, he wrote back:

_Dear Draco,_

_Recently, I've began to realise more about Voldemort than I had ever previously known. Before now, he used to just be this vague enemy. But this June he became very real, for you and I both. I saw him rise from death, a truly terrifying feat. He touched my scar, proving I was no longer safe. It hurts all the time now; further proof I have never been safe since. As I watched the Order make plans it dawned on me that something changed that night. Cedric's death marked the beginning of something. I know it's coming, we all do. Even all of our efforts can only delay it, it cannot be prevented outright._

_I want to propose something. You said we need an idea. I say we stop delaying the inevitable. We take the fight to him._

_It may be years yet before all out war starts, but could you wait that long?_

_We can't keep pretending like we don't all know it's coming. There will be a war, that much goes without saying. He is not ready yet, you've said yourself he is still gathering followers, still gaining power. He won't expect it, not yet at least. This is our chance. I say we take it._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Harry Potter._

He sent Draco's owl back off into the night and stared up at the ceiling. His eyes traced the swirls of wood on his bed frame and the stains of damp on the walls as he remembered his eyes, devoid of any life and hope they once held.

It felt selfish that his own death was the one that scared him most, when he had seen so many other bodies that night; the bodies of his friends, his family. Call it vanity, but he could not comprehend the world without himself in it. Whilst the fight Harry was about to enter terrified him, such fear was nothing compared to the knowledge that he might not make it out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know this chapters really short but it felt like the right place to stop.
> 
> There'll be a new one really soon as I have to isolate because of the Corona Virus (I don't actually have it) so I literally have nothing better to do lmao.
> 
> Please feel free to give me any advice or criticism as it all helps.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters as they belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

September 1st had always been one of Harry's favourite days of the year, ever since he first set foot on the Hogwarts Express. It was the day he would return Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The day he would come home.

But this year something was different. He had seen it in the somber expressions; in the heads bowed; a sad solemnity had washed over the school last Summer. No one would forget Cedric, the very first to die. His death would even come to mark the beginning of the end. But would everyone still be mourning? Would the school be changed forever, or would it revert to the chaotic joyful place it had once been?

Harry, it was safe to say, had not gotten over Cedric's death yet. He barely knew him, so surely he should not be in this much pain.  
Cedric's family and friends were losing more than Harry was, and yet the way his body lay, sprawled motionless across the grass, had haunted him every night that Summer. There is something inexplicably off about the dead, something so terribly wrong words cannot describe have you not seen someone dead yourself. It is not like in films, you can't just lay there, trying not to breathe too heavily. Anyone who has witnessed such horrors can tell the difference almost instantly. Harry could not stop seeing the way Cedric's joints were ever so slightly displaced, the quickly fading red flush of his cheeks, paling with every second lost. He knew those who actually knew Cedric were suffering more than he was, but such knowledge didn't stop the nightmares. Grief can take hold of you if you're not careful, but fear becomes you.

Upon climbing aboard the Hogwarts Express, Ron and Hermione told him they had to go to the prefects carriage, leaving him alone. He could not blame them, but still he felt scared being left with only himself for company.

"Your plan is stupid," said a voice from behind him. Harry turned around to see Draco, one shoulder leaning against the door of an empty compartment. He continued, "It's brave, I'll give you that, but stupid,"

"We have to do something," Harry muttered, annoyed at the other boy's indifference.

"Exactly. You're such a Griffindor, something needs to be done so you decide to do the dumbest, most noble and self righteous thing possible; you decide to start a fight,"

"I'm trying to prevent a fight," Harry glared at him, "Not start one,"

"How very courteous of you ," Draco rolled his eyes.

"I'm doing this. I have to. The only thing still left undecided is you. So are you in or are you out?" Harry looked up into Draco's uncertain grey eyes.

"In," Draco whispered.

Harry smiled, "How very noble of you,"

"Indeed," he tilted the shorter boys chin up slightly and pressed his lips gently against Harry's.

As their lips met, the world seemed to melt away. Harry sought solace in Draco's soft openness, something he had never seen before.  
He lost himself in the gentle slope of his nose, the subtle way his eyes glinted down at Harry, the sunlight illuminating his glossy, golden hair.

Draco pulled away and smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. "I have to get to the Prefects carriage," he sighed. "We will continue this later," Draco winked at Harry before walking down the train in the same direction Ron and Hermione had.

He was left alone with his thoughts once again. Although this time it wasn't so bad, not really. He had that kiss to keep him company, and the memory of Draco's sweet smile to provide comfort. Harry has been left alone with his thoughts and, for the first time since that dreaded night, he was happy for their presence. There was something quite tender about the innocent act of a kiss; no thoughts of naivety, even in the face of the forthcoming war, could keep him from blushing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's been a little while. I hope you like this chapter, I was hoping to write a longer one but I ended up with this instead. 
> 
> Tell me what you think; I'd love to hear some of your opinions. I'm hoping to write more often so I should update quicker next time- although I've said that before.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters bc they're J.K's, as is the plot, although I have tweaked some parts.

The train ride was different to any Harry had ever experienced before. For one thing, Ron and Hermione weren't there. He had never been on the Hogwarts Express without Ron before and even with Ginny, Neville and Luna with him it felt rather lonely. Another (slightly less important but still contributing) factor was that Neville had a new cactus, which promptly exploded, leaving the four of them covered in stink sap. But what felt the most unnerving to Harry was Draco; he couldn't stop thinking about him. 

After he had walked away, leaving Harry motionless in place, the somewhat intoxicating effect of their kiss began to wear off, leaving Harry spiraling. Draco Malfoy had kissed him. Draco Malfoy, as in his worst enemy Draco Malfoy, who he claimed to hate. Although Harry supposed all of that stopped being true after the very first letter. Even so, Malfoy had crossed a clear boundary. Most disturbingly, Harry had let him. He even wanted him to. He wanted him.

As students made their way off the train and onto the platform, the coaches began to pull up. There was something distinctly different about them this year though: they weren't pulling themselves. Tethered to each ornate carriage were two skeletal, horse-like creatures. Their glossy black hair clung close to their bones, seemingly without flesh in between, giving them an eerie, reptilian look. Their heads were angular and dragonish, their cloudy, pupil-less eyes bone white. They had leathery, black wings sprouting from their backs, folded by their sides. Harry suspected that if they were to stretch their wings out they would be vast, possibly even bigger than the carriages they pulled. One horse tilted its head and looked toward him, meeting his gaze. Its soulless eyes were sinister, never seeming to blink. 

"What're those things, d'you reckon?" he asked, nudging Ron's side and nodding in the direction of the horses.

"What things?" Ron wasn't paying attention, he was looking for his owl Pigwidgeon. 

"Those horse-"

Luna appeared from the bustling crowd of students holding Pigwidgeon's cage in her arms. "Here you are," she said cheerfully, handing Ron the cage, "Sweet little owl, isn't he?"

"Er... yeah... sure," Ron replied, his voice gruff, "What were you saying, Harry?"

"I was just wondering what those horse things are," Harry and Ron began making their way to the carriage that Hermione, Neville, Ginny and Luna were already sitting in, waiting for them.

"What horse things?" 

"The horse things pulling the carriages," Harry said impatiently. How could he not have noticed them? They were, after all, only three feet away from the closet one and it wasn't like they were hard to spot. Ron gave him a perplexed look as if he had no idea what Harry was talking about.

"What're you going on about, Harry?" Ron chortled slightly.

Harry looked between Ron and the horses, whilst Ron stared back at him confused and a little concerned.

"Shall we get in then?" Ron asked uncertainly, inclining his head toward the carriages.

"It's alright," said a dreamy voice from beside Harry as he sat down, "You're not going mad or anything, I can see them too,"

Harry turned desperately to Luna, "You can?"

"Oh, yes," she replied, "I've been able to see them since my first day here. They've always pulled the carriages. Don't worry, you're just as sane as I am,"

Not completely reassured, he smiled faintly. Ron merely watched the exchange, looking vaguely worried for his friend.

The students bustled into the great hall, eventually quietening as the doors swung open once more, allowing the first years to file in nervously, led by Professor Mcgonagall. She placed a ragged hat on a small wooden stool, confusing many of the new students. Sufficing as an explanation for some, and only furthering confusion for others, the hat's brim split open as it began to sing:

_In times of old when I was new_   
_And Hogwarts barely started_   
_The founders of our noble school_   
_Thought never to be parted:_   
_United by a common goal,_   
_They had the selfsame yearning,_   
_To make the world's best magic school_   
_And pass along their learning._   
_"Together we will build and teach!"_   
_The four good friends decided_   
_And never did they dream that they_   
_Might someday be divided,_   
_For were there such friends anywhere_   
_As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_   
_Unless it was the second pair_   
_Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?_   
_So how could it have gone so wrong?_   
_How could such friendships fail?_   
_Why, I was there and so can tell_   
_The whole sad, sorry tale._   
_Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those_   
_Whose ancestry is purest."_   
_Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose_   
_Intelligence is surest."_   
_Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those_   
_With brave deeds to their name,"_   
_Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,_   
_And treat them just the same."_   
_These differences caused little strife_   
_When first they came to light,_   
_For each of the four founders had_   
_A House in which they might_   
_Take only those they wanted, so,_   
_For instance, Slytherin_   
_Took only pure-blood wizards_   
_Of great cunning, just like him,_   
_And only those of sharpest mind_   
_Were taught by Ravenclaw_   
_While the bravest and the boldest_   
_Went to daring Gryffindor._   
_Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,_   
_And taught them all she knew,_   
_Thus the Houses and their founders_   
_Retained friendships firm and true._   
_So Hogwarts worked in harmony_   
_For several happy years,_   
_But then discord crept among us_   
_Feeding on our faults and fears._   
_The Houses that, like pillars four,_   
_Had once held up our school,_   
_Now turned upon each other and,_   
_Divided, sought to rule._   
_And for a while it seemed the school_   
_Must meet an early end,_   
_What with dueling and with fighting_   
_And the clash of friend on friend_   
_And at last there came a morning_   
_When old Slytherin departed_   
_And though the fighting then died out_   
_He left us quite downhearted._   
_And never since the founders four_   
_Were whittled down to three_   
_Have the Houses been united_   
_And they once were meant to be._   
_And now the Sorting Hat is here_   
_And you all know the score:_   
_I sort you into Houses_   
_Because that is what I'm for,_   
_But this year I'll go further,_   
_Listen closely to my song:_   
_Though condemned I am to split you_   
_Still I worry that it's wrong,_   
_Though I must fulfill my duty_   
_And must quarter every year_   
_Still I wonder whether sorting_   
_May not bring the end I fear._   
_Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_   
_The warning history shows,_   
_For our Hogwarts is in danger_   
_From external, deadly foes_   
_And we must unite inside her_   
_Or we'll crumble from within._   
_I have told you, I have warned you..._   
_Let the Sorting now begin._

Whispers broke out across the hall as the hat became still once more. Harry met Draco's somber, grey eyes from across the hall, pulling him out of deep thought. Though neither spoke, it was clear what was being said; the hat is right. Both boys mulled over the complex tale, phrases like we'll crumble from within replaying in their heads like a broken record. 

They had kissed just hours before and not seen each other since, and yet that was the last thing on their minds. No matter how significant it had seemed to either boy, the war never ceased. Still, they could be content in the cheerful security of the great hall, timeless and unchanging. They chose ignore the dangers lying in wait, not to remain ignorant, but to remain hopeful.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update. I wish I could say I have a reason but I really don't. I have a pretty detailed plan for the next chapter so I promise it won't take me this long to update again.
> 
> Also, I just wanted to let everybody know that although I've actually skipped past Umbridge she is still in it and I'm thinking I'll have Harry remembering her speech in the next chapter just so it's all clear what's happening.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they belong to JK Rowling.

On their way out of the Great Hall, Harry felt someone's hand slip gently into his pocket. Harry turned toward him, but they were already out of sight. He began climbing the grand staircase, reaching into his robes and found a note, roughly torn around the edges, obviously ripped- rather unceremoniously by the look of it- from a roll of parchment. In Draco's looping cursive it read:

_Astronomy tower, midnight._

_-Draco_

Why the astronomy tower? Harry wondered. It was kind of a strange place to meet, being both at the opposite end of the castle from the Slytherin dorms and not particularly close to Griffindor either. The time also worried Harry slightly. While he had the invisibility cloak so nobody saw him, Draco was likely to get caught. Midnight was a bit of a ridiculous time to pick if he was being totally honest, but he had to admit that it did sound better. Somehow it was more exhilarating than meeting at 9:30. The question of whether or not to go didn't even cross his mind.

At half eleven, Harry threw on the invisibility cloak over his robes and drew his burgundy curtains open slightly. Harry heard the stairs creak and winced despite knowing that it was completely rule abiding to be in the common room, even at this time of night. He pushed the portrait hole open with baited breath as he waited to see if the Fat Lady would wake.

Right on queue, she screeched, "Who on Earth is leaving the common room at this godforsaken hour? I'll report you if I'm woken up again, you hear me?"

The portrait swung shut as she looked around drowsily for someone she couldn't see. Harry walked along the corridors cautiously but with a certain thrill about him. No matter how many times he snuck out of Griffindor Tower after hours, it still sent a rush of adrenaline through his veins, just as it had done in his first year. Although, tonight there were other factors contributing to his nervous sense of excitement. 

As Harry climbed the stairs around the tower, the cold nipped at his nose and the wind whipped his already messy hair into a frenzy. When infrequent droplets of rain turned to heavy torrents he began to wonder why anyone would put stairs on the outside of a tower. In a castle this size surely one could do without the extra rooms, not to mention they could have just cast an expanding charm. He arrived at the conclusion that it was, on the whole, quite ridiculous, about the same time as he arrived at the top of the tower.

"Hey," Draco nodded awkwardly in his direction, searching for something to say, "The weather's horrid,"

Harry held no sympathy for the completely dry, if slightly windswept, boy, as he stood a dripping wet mess opposite him.

"Yeah,"

The awkwardness was astounding considering what they had felt earlier, locked in each other embrace. He had felt, Harry corrected himself, he didn't know about Draco. What if he regretted it? What if he just wasn't that into Harry? What if he didn't even like him and it had all been some dumb prank? What if... the doubts swirled through his mind in a storm worthy of the ages.

Caught up in his thoughts, Harry didn't notice Draco standing next to him until spoke, "You look kind of cute soaked through, y'know?"

Harry blushed and glared at him without any real conviction, "Fuck you," Draco raised his eyebrow cockily at Harry's insult, "It was you who picked the Astronomy Tower, remember?"

"Sorry," he mumbled, "I just like it up here,"

Draco's face flushed red as he spoke and Harry looked at him with surprise. "What, you enjoy freezing cold rain or something?" he said with a sarcastic smirk.

"The stars are kinda beautiful, though, if you could actually see them, that is," Draco looked like he was about to puke saying something so open.

Harry smiled softly, wishing he knew what they looked like from up there, hidden beneath a thick fog. 

"Still," Draco continued to murmer, almost to himself, "The rains nice, kind of calming,"

"Its ruddy wet," Harry mumbled, not quite understanding where Draco was coming from. He wanted to all the same.

"How is it that we can look up at the exact same sky and see two completely different places?" Draco wasn't even looking at him now, just the swirling grey outside.

"Everyone's looking at the same sky, Draco," Harry said dryly, "Even people who actually are in different places. That's why it's called the sky,"

"I'm sorry about earlier," Draco blurted out, "I was out of line, I mean, you probably don't even like me and I'm not even sure if you're gay. It was stupid and I'm sorry and I hope we can still be friends,"

Harry wasn't sure what to think when he finally stopped rambling. "Do you like me?" he asked, "And don't apologise or ask me anything, just tell me, yes or no?"

"Yeah," Draco mumbled awkwardly.

Harry grinned as Draco's pale face flushed pink in the moonlight. "Good, because for a second there I was getting worried,"

This time it was Harry who kissed Draco, pulling him towards him by his tie. Draco kissed him back passionately, pinning him against the rough stone wall. A sudden crash sounded, seemingly louder than the night itself, as the pair knocked over a brass telescope.

"Shit," Draco muttered, grinning from ear to ear despite himself.

Harry threw the invisibility cloak over them both as they spotted Mcgonagall striding briskly up the stone staircase. They barey managed to stifle giggles as she opened the closets only to find them empty. She muttered something about the wind as she stormed back downstairs, glaring mutinously at the darkened sky as if daring it to start raining again.

"What the hell is this?" Draco asked him as soon as their professor went out of sight. His eyes were wide as he looked down at the cloak in disbelief.

"An invisibility cloak," Harry shrugged nonchalantly, "It was my dads,"

"Like in the story," he muttered, "So it's true then?"

"What's true? I don't know what you're talking about, it's just a spell on an old cloak," Harry looked back at him confused.

"If it were your father's the spell would've worn off by now, though, wouldn't it?" Draco looked back at him eagerly, as if he expected Harry to catch on.

"I dunno," he shrugged, "Are you gunna explain what in the hell you're going on about or am I just going to have to stand here waiting forever?"

Draco sighed dramatically, "What if it's one of the Hallows, like in Beedle of the Bard?"

"What?" Harry looked back at him, completely perplexed and thoroughly annoyed about it.

"You know, the Three Brothers?" Draco waited for Harry's recognition but when none came he continued on, "That old kids story?"

"I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about, is it that important?" Harry asked indignantly.

"Of course its important," said Draco, "I can't remember all of it but I think the book's in the library,"

"And you want us to go and get the book?" Harry groaned inwardly, he had hoped they could resume making out, but he could tell Draco was thinking about something else entirely.

Draco nodded and Harry threw the cloak over them as they walked down the tower and back into the castle. Grateful though he was that there were no creaking floorboards, Harry wished his footsteps on the stone floors didn't echo so loudly through the castle. Eventually, the pair arrived at the library. Draco picked up a book from the small and extremely limited ficton section. They pushed open a heavy, oak door leading an empty classroom and stepped inside, pulling the cloak off.

"So what's this book then?" Harry questioned, wondering what was so important.

"It's wizarding kids storys," Harry raised his eyebrows, "But after seeing your cloak I think one of them might be real, or, at least, partially so,"

He handed the book over to Harry. It was a faded blue, with intricate patterns of roses and thorns spiraling around the edges.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard," Harry muttered to himself as he ran his finger along the indented lettering. Harry flicked to the story he was looking for, 'The Tale of the Three Brothers', and Draco took the book gently from his hands. Draco's delicate fingers brushed against his as he did so and Harry couldn't help but smile slightly at the soft touch of his hand.

Draco's voice, quiet and silken, brought Harry from his thoughts as he began to read,

_"There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure._

_And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travellers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him._

_So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existance: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother._

_Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank, and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead._

_And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility._

_Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had, and admiring Death's gifts. In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination._

_The first brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought for a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible. 'That very night, another wizard crept upon the older brother as he lay wine-sodden, upon his bed. The thief took the wand and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat. And so Death took the first brother for his own._

_Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and he turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him. Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her. And so Death took the second brother for his own._

_But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life."_

Harry sat in silence for a moment, contemplating what he had heard. Sure, it was an interesting story, and it would be good to know where his cloak came from, but he didn't understand why Draco was so insistent on him hearing it.

Draco looked at him eagerly, "Don't you get it? If the cloak's real then so are the stone and the wand!"

Oh, right. That made more sense. Harry's mind began filling with everything he could do with the Hallows. His parents, they could come back. He wouldn't have to live with the Dursleys. He could have a family. It nearly brought him to the verge of tears. No, he thought with a hard resolve, I will not cry in front of Draco. Besides, they didn't really come back, not properly. With or without the stone, he'd be alone. But he couldn't help wanting it anyway, just to speak to them. And Cedric, he could bring back Cedric. It wouldn't be his fault anymore. Cedric would be back with his family, he'd come back and he'd take his exams and sit at the Hufflepuff table and it would all be okay. He wouldn't be dead. Harry wouldn't have killed him.

Harry turned to Draco, almost forgetting he was even there. Draco's eyes were alight with excitement and wonder. Apparently they weren't following the same downhearted train of thought.

"Do you know what this means?" Draco asked. Harry was too deep in his own thoughts to be listening. He continued on anyway, "You could kill him, with the Elder Wand, you could kill the Dark Lord!"

Harry's ears pricked up at that. He could end this, once and for all. No more pain and suffering, no more fear. Could it really be true? A small doubt crept into his mind, making it's self known. It was an old memory resurfacing,

_' "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die." '_

For the first time since the story, Harry spoke. His voice came out weak and shaky, "That night, when I was a baby, I should have died,"

Draco looked at him earnestly.

"But I didn't. I don't know why, but the killing curse bounced off me. And it hit him,"

"Yeah..." Draco trailed off, not understanding why Harry was bringing this up and rather dissapointed Harry wasn't quite as enthusiastic about his plan.

"So he should have died. Everyone said he died, but he didn't,"

_' "See what I have become?" the face said, "Mere shadow and vapour... I can have form only when I can share another's body... but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds..." '_

"What d'you mean?" Draco looked back at him, brow furrowed, "He was dead, and then he came back, during the third task, you've said so yourself,"

"But he wasn't dead, not really, he just didn't have a body,"

"But how? How can you exist without a body?" Draco's eyes widened incredulously.

"I don't know," Harry murmered, "But I think that's what we need to find out."

Draco considered this nervously, "Maybe we should just go to bed, you're not making all that much sense..."

Harry glared at him, "Somehow Voldemort's not dead,"

Draco visibly winced when he said His name.

"And if we find out how, we can stop him from surviving a second time. You said you were with me, are you backing out?"

Draco met Harry's bright emerald eyes, his resolve hardening as he saw the underlying fear in them, "Never."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks so much for reading, it really means a lot to me. I plan on having the next chapter out within a week so no more long waits between updates.


	6. Authors Note

So I know I said I'd have the next chapter out by this week but I won't. I'm really sorry but I haven't been doing that great mental health wise and I can't really focus on anything at the moment. I'm not abandoning this fic I just might take a little while to update. It could be anything from a couple more weeks to maybe a few months I'm just not sure. Again, sorry about that.

If you like my fic I'd actually really like to hear from you; I'd love to know what people think.

I can’t work out how to add an image to this and I’m not actually sure if you even can on AO3 but I saw a cute drawing of a cat drinking milk and I wanted to share it with you all. I don’t know why I’m even saying this seeing as I can’t show you the picture but whatever.   
  


Ok that’s all xx


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